Lindsay Lohan Rejects Plea Agreement in Theft Case, Will Proceed With Trial

Lindsay Lohan in court on March 10, 2011. (Reuters)

Lindsay Lohan agreed to a preliminary hearing on April 22 for allegedly stealing a necklace from a Venice, Calif. jewelry store.

She rejected a plea agreement offered by prosecutors that included a guaranteed return to jail.

The "Mean Girls" actress appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Thursday and told a judge she agreed to delaying her case until that preliminary hearing, when prosecutors will present evidence against her.

An interim date was set for March 25, 2011 at which point Lohan may plead guilty or no contest to Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz.

The judge said the only reason she would appear before him on that date would be to plead guilty or no contest. Otherwise, he is done with her case.

Any further dealings would be at the discretion of Superior Court Judge Sautner, starting with the April 22 hearing.

Judge Schwartz urged attorneys on both sides to keep their dealings confidential, citing continued leaks on web sites TMZ.com and RadarOnline.com.

Lohan was on probation in January when a Venice jewelry store accused her of taking a $2,500 necklace.

Footage from the store's four surveillance cameras were obtained from a rep for Kamofie by a commercial images division of the AP, which then licensed it exclusively to "Entertainment Tonight."

The program aired snippets of the video for three days this week, showing Lohan pacing, texting, trying on two other necklaces, and leaving the store after about 45 minutes with the jewelry still around her neck.

On Wednesday, "Entertainment Tonight" showed Lohan leaving the store with a clerk opening the door for her and smiling.

The source said Lohan's defense team considers the video and its sale to be helpful to the actress' case.

Lohan and her attorney, Shawn Holley, have denied any wrongdoing by the actress.

A once-promising star of Disney films such as "Freaky Friday" and "Herbie Fully Loaded," Lohan's career has been stalled since she was arrested twice in 2007 and later charged with drunken driving and drug possession.

In the past 10 months, Lohan has been jailed twice and sent to rehab twice for probation violations. A judge ordered her to undergo three months of treatment at the Betty Ford Center, and it was within three weeks of her release that she was accused of stealing the necklace.

While the theft case has caused more uncertainty for Lohan, it might benefit others.

The owners of Kamofie & Co. announced Wednesday that they will auction the necklace and donate the proceeds to an unspecified charity after the theft case is resolved. The item remains in the custody of authorities.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.